Linglong Pavilion didn't know how precious Dragon Crocodile Hide was. Elder Shui had secretly rejoiced, revealed his identity, and scared off all the competition. He'd thought he could buy the treasure cheaply, but then number twenty-three had turned up—a stubborn fool who wouldn't bend to either threats or persuasion.
Fifteen hundred gold was already Elder Shui's limit. He knew very well that if he kept raising the price, he could forget about the final auction item.
Who knew how many people in the hall were waiting for the last treasure? A few of them hadn't even opened their mouths to bid since entering. It was obvious they'd come just for the final item.
Now, Elder Shui could only hope that the Shui family's accumulated prestige would frighten Xu Yi into backing down. He'd even gone so far as to make the ruthless threat, on behalf of his family, that they would "fight to the death."
Alas, Xu Yi was as bold as a yellow dragon. There was no scaring him.
"Eighteen hundred gold!"
Seeing that Elder Shui was already at the end of his rope, Xu Yi burned his boats and made a last stand, abruptly raising the bid by three hundred gold in hopes of shattering Elder Shui's psychological defenses in one blow.
And eighteen hundred gold was Xu Yi's absolute limit!
He had only two thousand gold to his name. If he could get the Dragon Crocodile Hide for eighteen hundred, he'd have two hundred left—the sum he'd set aside to treat the hide.
If Elder Shui raised the bid again, all Xu Yi could do was return empty-handed.
Unfortunately, Elder Shui merely shot him a venomous look before closing his eyes and falling silent.
Xu Yi had guessed right. His sudden three-hundred-gold increase and the domineering air of someone determined to win had utterly shattered Elder Shui's final defenses.
After all, compared to the final auction item, Dragon Crocodile Hide was far inferior.
Though Elder Shui was furious, he would never sacrifice the greater prize for a lesser one.
"Eighteen hundred gold, once! Eighteen hundred gold, twice! Eighteen hundred gold, three times! Sold! Dragon Crocodile Hide goes to honored guest number twenty-three!"
With a clear clang, the silver-robed elder announced the Dragon Crocodile Hide's new owner. As he looked toward Xu Yi, a faint trace of satisfaction showed in his eyes.
The crisp clang of the silver hammer reached Xu Yi's ears. He first felt relief, then his heart clenched, and waves of grief washed over him.
What Xu Yi mourned was the eighteen hundred gold.
He'd gone from dirt-poor to rich, then from rich back to poor. The change had come too fast; he really couldn't take it.
With two thousand gold, Xu could have lived a life of carefree luxury.
But compared to pleasure, his life was more important.
Just as Xu Yi was grieving himself into pain, the silver-robed elder's voice rang out again. "Honored guests, the item now up for auction is—"
"The final item of today's auction, and its grand finale. I'm sure some of you have already heard what it is, and I believe many of you came specifically for this treasure. Indeed, not just you—even this old man, who has auctioned countless treasures in his life, couldn't help feeling his heart race when he saw such a rare treasure today. All right, I won't keep you in suspense. Open your eyes wide, everyone. Now, let us present today's grand finale!" As he spoke, he reached out and lifted the curtain, revealing the auction item.
A white iron gall, round all over and as large as a chicken egg, rested on the scarlet display cloth.
Xu Yi's head felt as though it had been struck by a heavy hammer. He couldn't help trembling.
He'd never imagined that Linglong Pavilion's grand finale would be the very same kind of object as the White Iron Gall in his waist pouch. The only difference was that the one in his pouch was slightly larger than the one on the table.
Xu Yi had witnessed the iron gall's extraordinary nature and knew it wasn't an ordinary object, but he'd never imagined it was so precious that it could be the grand finale of an auction like this.
What did it mean to be the grand finale? It meant the treasure carried the greatest weight. Xu Yi had watched the earlier treasures appear, each one leaving him astonished. If the iron gall could surpass them all and appear as the final treasure, then its value went without saying.
As wild delight surged in Xu Yi's heart, the entire hall was already in an uproar.
"What is that? Could it be iron essence?"
"It must be iron essence! Round as a ball, white as snow, and lustrous as jade—all signs of iron essence from the legends!"
"If it really is iron essence, then it's a priceless treasure. I wonder who would be willing to sell something so precious!"
"..."
With a light clang, the hall fell silent. The silver-robed elder smiled. "Honored guests, you are right. This is indeed iron essence. Some of you may know what iron essence is, while others may not, so allow this old man to give a brief explanation. Iron essence, as the name suggests, is the essence of iron. But this is no ordinary iron—it is meteoric iron descended from the heavens. According to the Record of Exotic Creatures, during the Seven Luminaries, divine iron fell from the sky and landed in a blessed place. It absorbed the essence of heaven and earth and the spiritual energy of the sun and moon. After a thousand years, through a fortuitous coincidence, it gave birth to iron essence."
"This iron essence is naturally round, white as snow, and lustrous as jade. Though it has no life, it is remarkably attuned to the spirit and can change shape in countless ways, transforming according to the force of a person's palm. They say that those whose skill reaches the level of creation can transform this iron essence into all things."
As he spoke, the silver-robed elder secretly channeled his palm force, and the iron gall changed into all sorts of shapes.
"Marvelous transformations, like a divine object! Shopkeeper Li, no need to explain further. Hurry up and start the bidding!"
Someone shouted impatiently.
Indeed, the world was full of treasures, but no one present had ever seen one that could change shape at will.
"Hold on, hold on. This iron essence's ability to change shape is extraordinary, but if that were its only use, wouldn't it be no different from a child's toy? Elder Li, please explain all its wonders."
The one who spoke was Xu Yi.
He was more curious than anyone about what iron essence really was. Now that he'd finally come across it at an auction, wouldn't it be foolish not to seize the chance to find out?
As the auctioneer, the silver-robed elder naturally wanted the treasure to fetch the highest possible price. Just as with the Dragon Crocodile Hide earlier, Gao Junmo had tested it, and the bidding had gone wonderfully.
Now that Xu Yi was willing to probe the iron essence's wonders, the silver-robed elder couldn't have been more pleased. "This honored guest asks a good question! The iron essence is not only wondrous in its transformations. Used as a weapon, it also possesses tremendous power."
As he spoke, he drove his palm force into it. The iron gall became a sword, shifting east and west, then north and south. As it swept through the air, flashes of silver light glittered, its power imposing. The whole hall erupted in thunderous cheers, while Xu Yi alone remained silent.
He already knew about the iron gall's wondrous uses. It looked as though its Sword Qi could sweep in every direction with boundless might, but in truth its function was limited. He'd tested it against objects and found that when the iron gall became a sword, it could pierce brick and wood, but could barely penetrate hard iron.
The day it pierced Xu Yi with its sword form, it had merely slipped cleverly into his body and passed through a gap between his bones.
Otherwise, with his Body Tempering Peak cultivation, his bones were as hard as iron, and the White Sword would never have been able to pierce them.
In other words, the iron gall's transformations looked infinitely powerful, but its actual use was limited. Against anyone below Body Tempering Peak, it could inflict devastating damage.
But against anyone above Body Tempering Peak, its effectiveness was limited. It probably posed no threat at all to experts in the Qi Sea Realm.
However, though Xu Yi knew all these intricacies, he wasn't foolish enough to announce them aloud.
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